Land View, Inc.: Creating A Park-Like Setting

From the road, the former Grange Hall — now the office location for the 2011 Environmental Respect regional winner Land View, Inc. — could pass for a roadside park. “When people started coming to this valley, it was all sage brush,” explains Dee Hunsaker, crop consultant. “They brought irrigation to the area and made it what it is today. That’s why they called it ‘magic valley.’ It was transformed almost magically into an oasis.”

The facility is located near Mur­taugh, ID, not far from the Snake River. Agriculture in the area has been changing in recent times. “A few years ago, we could barely spell the word corn,” says Rod Merrigan, location manager, “but that all changed when big dairies moved into the area.”

Merrigan says the facility was built with two objectives in mind: To protect the environment and provide proper drainage. All bulk products are loaded and unloaded on bermed containment pads and storage tanks and mixing facilities are within their own containment. Rainwater is contained on the property in two collection ponds.

As with all ERA regional winner locations, there’s a lot more going on than what happens within containment walls and on concrete pads. “As our business has grown and scattered, we’ve learned we need to be part of the local communities,” says Roy Young, Land View president.

Tied To The Community

Husaker takes community affairs seriously. He has been mayor of neighboring Murtaugh for seven years. “It is nice to visit with people and explain to them what goes on here and how we are about helping to feed the people of this nation,” he says. “It’s amazing how people living out here in the country really don’t understand agriculture.”

By reaching out into the community, Land View recently helped a nearby Future Farmers of America chapter. “What I admire most about those young people is that they came to us and instead of asking for money, they asked us for our help and advice,” says Merrigan. “Of course, we were happy to give them financial support, too.”

“We feel there has been a big change in customer attitude toward environmental respect the last three years,” says Young. “They’ve helped our industry by bringing this to our customers’ attention.”